Page 74 of Burn Bright

Even though Tom is a musician, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he wears earplugs on stage, so he’s not used to this violent sound either.

“TOM, STOP!” I yell at him. “JUST COVER YOUR EARS!”

He doesn’t hear me. He’s screaming at the door.

Eliot slams his foot against the wood, trying to physically break it. Beckett has the tin box and tries to crack the lock with a paperclip.

Harriet kicks my shin, stealing my attention. I bend down to her height, and she murmurs into the pit of my ear, “Snake, bat, vampire.” The riddle. She’s trying to decipher the riddle.

I uncover our hands from her left ear and cup my palm around my lips. Whispering back, “Were there any books about animals on the shelf?” I shield her ear again while our gazes veer to the bookcase. A key could be inside the pages.

Just as we set our sights on the bookcase, Charlie yanks open drawer after drawer in the desk until he takes out a stapler. He pops it open, and where there should be a row of metal staples, there’s a slender skeleton key.

He found it.

“THANK FUCKING CHARLIE!” Tom screams in glee, shaking Charlie’s shoulders, practically jumping on his back. Our eldest brother ignores him as he fits the skeleton key in the door. It easily swings open.

The answer was a stapler. I would’ve never guessed that, but I’m just glad the alarm suddenly stops.

My ears ring like I’ve just vacated the front row of a heavy metal concert. I drop my hands off Harriet. Her breathing seems shallow, her neck splotchy with flush, and I recognize we’ve been touching each other a lot more tonight than usual.

“You okay?” I ask again, having trouble even hearing my own voice.

“I’m not the one who just withstood ear-splitting decibels.” She bounces up to her tiptoes, trying to peer into my ears but not getting anywhere close.

A smile toys at my lips. “Trying to give me a check-up, Dr. Fisher?”

“Just making sure you can still hear me, Friend.”

My smile softens on her while she falls flat on her feet. “I can still hear you.” My voice is almost a whisper. Her guards drop, her eyes clinging to mine, and I think about pulling her into my chest. Until she diverts her gaze and gives Charlie a once-over.

Her brows furrow in frustration. “I can’t believe he cracked that without the third clue.” The one from the tin box, she means. We never even opened it.

Charlie isn’t gloating, but Harriet’s scowl has reformed. She even crosses her arms.

“Wish you figured it out first?” I ask.

“A little bit…okay, yeah. It was an easy riddle.” She cringes at herself. “I was thinking about it too literally.”

“I’d still give you a solid A,” I tell her. “And not just because I think you’re cute.”

Her brows spring, and her lips part. A groan rumbles in my chest. She’s fucking adorable, and the thought quadruples when her grouchy disposition returns. “I’d give myself a B minus, and I’d give you an Aonlybecause I think you’re hot.”

I laugh hard. “My good looks are really pulling through for me.”

“You are very blessed, Cobalt boy.”

It’s too difficult not to put my hands on her now. I slide my fingers through her bangs, just to see her beautiful stormy eyes fastened on mine. A smile teases her pursed lips. I just slide my hand farther through her choppy blonde hair, then hold the back of her head and bring her into my chest.

I wrap my arms around her small frame in a hug. I don’t even care if she reciprocates, but my mouth curves upward as her arms coil around my waist.

Sherlock Holmes rounds the corner. “Congratulations on escaping The Labyrinth Library! Apologies for the alarm. It’s supposed to trigger when the door is opened by force, butit activated unexpectedly. And there was no way to disable it without opening the door, which would have broken immersion. But you all figured it out in the nick of time!” His smile is forced, and I see a hint of worry behind his eyes.

He knows who we are.

My family has a hundred different lawyers on retainer, and he’s probably crossing his fingers we’re going to walk out of here without trouble. But I doubt any of my brothers will put up a stink about an alarm when they’re usually the ones setting them off.

I only let go of Harriet when Beckett’s bodyguard appears with the basket of phones. I hand hers back to her, then I collect mine and see fifteen missed calls from my little sister.